The effect of chest expansion resistance exercise in chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the initial effects of chest expansion resistance exercise (CERE) applied to chronic stroke patients on their pulmonary functions, chest expansion, and functional gait ability. [Subjects] Forty chronic stroke patients without any respiration-related rehabilitation program experience (21 men and 19 women; times elapsed since occurrence of stroke: 21.8 ± 5.3 months) were randomly and equally allocated to a CERE group (experimental group) and a control group. [Methods] An ordinary stroke rehabilitation program was performed on the subjects. While the experimental group received a CERE intervention, the control group performed passive range of motion exercise with automatic instruments. [Results] The CERE group’s chest expansion significantly increased after the intervention, whereas the control group did not see any significant difference. As regards VC (vital capacity), FVC (forced vital capacity), and FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second), there were no significant changes in either the CERE or control group. In the 10MTWT (10-meter timed walking test), there were no significant changes in either group, but in the 6MWT (6-minute walk test), while there were no significant differences in the control group, the CERE group saw significant changes. [Conclusion] The results of application of CERE to chronic stroke patients demonstrated the importance of respiratory exercise in an approach to stroke rehabilitation treatment intervention and the need to add respiratory exercise to a rehabilitation intervention program.

The effects of breathing with mainly inspiration or expiration on pulmonary function and chest expansion

“…Another study of inspiration and expiration breathing exercise methods that aimed to improve the pulmonary function of patients with cervical spinal cord injuries showed that the expiration exercise group had significantly higher pulmonary function in all evaluation indexes (except for FEV 1 /FVC) than the inspiration exercise group 19 ) . The present study showed more significant differences in the BMIG, which is likely to be related to increased chest wall expansion 20 , 21 ) . It also showed that the change in FVC was significantly increased in the BMIG as compared to the BMEG, whereas the change in CEV was significantly decreased in the BMIG as compared to the BMEG.…”

Efficacy of chest expansion resistance exercise on respiratory function, trunk control and dynamic balance in patients with chronic stroke: A Comparative study.

“…Kim et al in their study on chronic stroke patients proved that CERE improved chest expansion attributing the changes to facilitation of respiration causing increased inflow of air into the lungs. However, pulmonary function test results (FEV1, FVC, vital capacity) did not show any significant changes [30]. In another study performed on elderly, Kim et al documented a significant change in chest expansion and inspiratory muscles strength following 6 weeks of CERE wherein the elderly participants showed an improvement of 48% in chest expansion and 25% in MIP values [17].…”

Effects of diaphragm and deep abdominal muscle exercise on walking and balance ability in patients with hemiplegia due to stroke

“… Kim et al (2015) reported that 40 patients with hemiplegia due to stroke were treated with the concept-based respiratory muscle exercises of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation in an EG. 6MWT was compared within-group and between-groups, and showed significant improvement.…”